science

WISE 0146+4234

WISE 0146+4234 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand WISE 0146+4234 rather than just read about it. In short: WISE J014656.66+423410.0 (designation abbreviated to WISE 0146+4234) is a binary brown dwarf of spectral classes T9 and Y0 located in the constellation Andromeda. It is approximately 60 light-years from Earth.

Key takeaways

WISE 0146+4234 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect WISE 0146+4234 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of WISE 0146+4234 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

WISE J014656.66+423410.0 (designation abbreviated to WISE 0146+4234) is a binary brown dwarf of spectral classes T9 and Y0 located in the constellation Andromeda. It is approximately 60 light-years from Earth. Analysis of the spectrum shows that the binary is probably old and has a total mass of 32+5−6 MJ for an age of 10 billion years. If it is however young (about 1 billion years), it would be a pair of planetary-mass objects with a total mass of 8.7+1.3−1.6 MJ. For an old system an orbital period of ≤10 years was predicted. Another work estimated an age of 5±3 billion years, which was then used to estimate masses of 7–15 MJ and 6–14 MJ. The binary was observed with JWST NIRSpec and MIRI. The unresolved spectrum shows strong absorption due to ammonia and methane, as well as weak carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide absorption. The researchers find that the spectrum resembles a combination of W0751 (484 K) and W1405 (392 K), but comparisons with models yields different temperatures (550 K and 325 K). The components have a large difference in Spitzer color, while having a small difference in temperature (92±23 K). This could hint at atmospheric changes at the T/Y transition.

Discovery WISE 0146+4234 was discovered in 2012 by J. Davy Kirkpatrick et al. from data, collected by Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Earth-orbiting satellite—NASA infrared-wavelength 40 cm (16 in) space telescope, which mission lasted from December 2009 to February 2011. In 2012 Kirkpatrick et al. published a paper in The Astrophysical Journal, where they presented discovery of seven new found by WISE brown dwarfs of spectral type Y, among which also was WISE 0146+4234.

Distance The distance of WISE 0146+4234 was initially estimated to be 20 light-years from earth. Later measurements of its stellar parallax showed that it was actually 60 light-years away.

See also The other six discoveries of brown dwarfs, published in Kirkpatrick et al. (2012):

WISE 0350-5658 (Y1) WISE 0359-5401 (Y0) WISE 0535-7500 (≥Y1) WISE 0713-2917 (Y0) WISE 0734-7157 (Y0) WISE 2220-3628 (Y0)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with WISE 0146+4234

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what WISE 0146+4234 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to WISE 0146+4234 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about WISE 0146+4234 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of WISE 0146+4234

In research: WISE 0146+4234 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses WISE 0146+4234 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: WISE 0146+4234 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Andromeda (constellation), Brown dwarfs, WISE objects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for WISE 0146+4234 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study WISE 0146+4234 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what WISE 0146+4234 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain WISE 0146+4234 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is WISE 0146+4234 in simple terms?

Why does WISE 0146+4234 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study WISE 0146+4234?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on WISE 0146+4234.